Cigars are typically manufactured, either by hand or by machine, with one end that is cut and an opposite end that is closed off to form a cap. The cap must be cut or punctured prior to smoking to allow air and smoke to be drawn through the cap end of the cigar. A variety of devices are known in the art for preparing the cap of the cigar for smoking including punches, V-cutters or notch cutters, knives, scissors, and guillotine cutters.
Exemplary guillotine cutter are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,656,595 to Wong and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0162596 to Smith. These cutters includes a housing with a central aperture in which a cigar can be inserted. A pair of oppositely oriented guillotine blades are provided that intersect the aperture and are sliceable movable across the aperture to engage and cut through the cigar inserted therein. Each of the blades is biased by a spring to move outwardly away from the aperture to allow insertion of the cigar therein, or the blades can be pressed toward one another and locked in a position lying across the aperture.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0231271 to Xikar discloses a guillotine like cigar cutter device that employs use of a gear-train cooperating in conjunction with a ring gear and spring to simultaneously and symmetrically move two cutting blades. The blades are locked together using the respective gear-train coupled with a manual depressible trigger. Once unlocked, a spring transfers energy into the gear-train and forces the blades pivotally apart to an open position.